New Roads, New College Campus Discussed at Community Forum

Commissioner Santamaria

Commissioner Santamaria

County Engineer George Webb

Beatriz Caicedo-Madison, FDOT State Road 7 project manager

PBSC President Dennis Gallon

Higher education and higher road capacity shared the spotlight at September’s community forum hosted by Commissioner Santamaria. About 50 west-central area residents attended the gathering at the original Wellington Mall.

County Engineer George Webb gave an update on the proposed extension of Roebuck Road from Jog Road to State Road 7. The project is on hold, he said, because daily traffic volume on Okeechobee Boulevard has decreased considerably since the expansion of Southern Boulevard. It may be several years, he said, before Okeechobee is once again over capacity.

Beatriz Caicedo-Madison, with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), gave a presentation on the proposed extension of State Road 7 to Northlake Boulevard. The state project would provide much-needed relief to residents of The Acreage, Loxahatchee and Royal Palm Beach, and would serve as an important evacuation route. However, objections continue from residents of Ibis who don’t want the four-lane roadway running along their east border, one of the alignments favored by FDOT.

Caicedo-Madison said the state already owns the right of way and that special safeguards would be taken to ensure minimal environmental impact. “We are not taking any additional right of way from the Water Catchment Area,” she said. The cost of the project is estimated at $69 million and is fully funded in FY-2015, she added.

Urging residents to support the extension were former County Commissioner Ken Adams, Royal Palm Beach Village Manager Ray Liggins, Royal Palm Beach Councilwoman Marge Webster, and former Indian Trail Improvement District Board President Mike Erickson.

Before the road discussions, Dennis Gallon, president of Palm Beach State College, gave a presentation on plans for PBSC’s new Loxahatchee campus. Located at Southern Boulevard and B Road in Loxahatchee Groves, it will be the school’s fifth full-service campus in Palm Beach County. The project will create about 700 trade jobs during construction, Gallon said, and approximately 100 full-time and part-time instructional and administrative positions once the new campus opens. Vertical construction is expected to begin in about two years.